I have a couple of picky eating kids and I wanted to soup up our usual breakfast juice with something that had a bit more to it. We have some dairy milk sensitive bodies in our family so I tried a few variations with almond milk rather than dairy milk. I'm a die-hard dairy milk favored gal and actually don't enjoy the almond milk that most of my family drinks. I can't stand it on cereal. But, this Orange Julius with the almond milk is so much better than with dairy milk, trust me. Plus, it's naturally sweeter than dairy milk so you don't need to add vanilla or sugar to the recipe like most of the ones floating around the web. We love the delicious flavor and frothy goodness!
Ingredients:
1 12 ounce can orange juice concentrate
2 cups Almond Breeze reduced sugar vanilla almond milk
2 cups water
2 cups ice cubes
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend to your hearts desire! Serve immediately.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Breakfast Casserole
A few months ago we decided to jump onto the breakfast casserole bandwagon. We found a nice recipe online and made two pans, freezing one and baking the other. It tasted awful and we sadly tossed the leftovers and the uncooked frozen casserole in the trash. We found this recipe through a friend and our kids (even the pickiest ones) rave about it. We like turkey so much better so we subbed the ground sausage for turkey sausage. This one is a winner and now our regular Saturday morning family breakfast!
Ingredients
1 24 ounce bag of frozen hash browns
1 cup butter
1 lb. uncooked turkey sausage
9 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
Directions
1. Warm oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray, set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the 1 cup butter and then add the hash browns. Cook for about 15 minutes, browning and stirring at regular intervals.
3. While the hash browns are cooking, warm another skillet to medium-high heat and brown the turkey sausage, breaking up the sausage as it cooks so that it's a crumbly texture.
4. Once the hash browns are nicely golden brown, put them in the bottom of the prepared 9x13 pan. Top them with the browned crumbled turkey sausage.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, sour cream, salt, garlic powder, and pepper until smooth. Then, stir in the grated cheddar cheese. Pour the wet ingredients over the hash browns and sausage. Stir all the ingredients together in the 9x13 pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve warm.
Ingredients
1 24 ounce bag of frozen hash browns
1 cup butter
1 lb. uncooked turkey sausage
9 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
Directions
1. Warm oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray, set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the 1 cup butter and then add the hash browns. Cook for about 15 minutes, browning and stirring at regular intervals.
3. While the hash browns are cooking, warm another skillet to medium-high heat and brown the turkey sausage, breaking up the sausage as it cooks so that it's a crumbly texture.
4. Once the hash browns are nicely golden brown, put them in the bottom of the prepared 9x13 pan. Top them with the browned crumbled turkey sausage.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, sour cream, salt, garlic powder, and pepper until smooth. Then, stir in the grated cheddar cheese. Pour the wet ingredients over the hash browns and sausage. Stir all the ingredients together in the 9x13 pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve warm.
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Chopped MInestrone Soup
The first day of snow and we had to have soup and this one was the winner. It is delightfully beautiful and deliciously tasty. It's not like any other Minestrone soup because - PESTO! Oh, I love Pesto so much. It adds the perfectness to this yummy soup. There is some work chopping everything into nice little bite-sized pieces, but well worth it.
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 1/2 cups diced celery
2 1/2 cups peeled and diced butternut squash
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 large can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups ditalini past, uncooked
2 Tbsp store-bought pesto
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for topping
12 oz precooked bacon, chopped, for topping
Directions:
1. In a large pot heat up the olive oil until rippling. Add the onions, carrots, celery, squash, garlic, and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 - 10 minutes, until the vegetables being to soften.
2. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaf, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper and bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
3. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to package directions.
4. Stir in the beans and pesto. Heat through. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed, and add any additional chicken broth if the soup is too thick. We like it on the thick side.
5. Serve with the Parmesan cheese and bacon.
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 1/2 cups diced celery
2 1/2 cups peeled and diced butternut squash
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 large can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups ditalini past, uncooked
2 Tbsp store-bought pesto
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for topping
12 oz precooked bacon, chopped, for topping
Directions:
1. In a large pot heat up the olive oil until rippling. Add the onions, carrots, celery, squash, garlic, and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 - 10 minutes, until the vegetables being to soften.
2. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaf, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper and bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
3. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to package directions.
4. Stir in the beans and pesto. Heat through. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed, and add any additional chicken broth if the soup is too thick. We like it on the thick side.
5. Serve with the Parmesan cheese and bacon.
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Catalina Salad
I've had Catalina dressing a few times and thought it was pretty awful, but this homemade version is divine. I had to pour it over my salad 3 times just that I could savor every single bite with dressing. My husband and I raved and raved about this recipe and I promised him I'd save it here on our blog. There's something about almost being 40 with a handful of kids and not having much brain space left to remember where we had found a fantastic recipe. If only we could remember what the name was or some of the ingredients in that amazing chicken recipe we had a few months back. We're kicking ourselves we didn't save it here.
Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 head ice berg lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 cup cubed cheese, cheddar, Monterey Jack, etc.
1 cup corn
1 can olives, sliced
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
crushed tortilla chips
Dressing:
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup onion finely chopped
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a large, nonstick skillet, brown the ground turkey with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper until cooked through.
2. For the dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients together in a blender and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve. The dressing can be made up to 3-4 days in advance.
3. We like to make our salads individually, so the original recipe called to add all the salad ingredients into one large bowl. We put each ingredient in small individual bowls at the center of the table and everyone makes their own salad with the toppings they enjoy.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Creamy Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper to season the chicken
1 lb bowtie pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 cup half and half, room temperature
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
12 oz. jar roasted red peppers, sliced
Directions:
1. In a large frying pan or skillet, heat the vegetable oil on medium high heat until rippling. Toss in the chicken pieces and season them with salt and pepper. Let them fry until golden on each side, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot cook the bowtie pasta according to the package directions. Drain, and set aside.
3. In the same pan that was used for the chicken, turn it to down to medium low heat and melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.
4. Transfer the onion and garlic to the large pot used for cooking the bowtie pasta and turn it up to medium or medium low heat. Carefully whisk in the half and half, chicken broth, and fresh basil. Then, stir in the salt and shredded mozzarella. Lower the heat if needed to keep the sauce from boiling, but keep stirring until all the mozzarella has been melted into the sauce.
5. Add the chicken, cooked pasta, and roasted red peppers to the large pot of sauce and heat everything through for about 1 - 2 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper to season the chicken
1 lb bowtie pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 cup half and half, room temperature
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
12 oz. jar roasted red peppers, sliced
Directions:
1. In a large frying pan or skillet, heat the vegetable oil on medium high heat until rippling. Toss in the chicken pieces and season them with salt and pepper. Let them fry until golden on each side, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot cook the bowtie pasta according to the package directions. Drain, and set aside.
3. In the same pan that was used for the chicken, turn it to down to medium low heat and melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.
4. Transfer the onion and garlic to the large pot used for cooking the bowtie pasta and turn it up to medium or medium low heat. Carefully whisk in the half and half, chicken broth, and fresh basil. Then, stir in the salt and shredded mozzarella. Lower the heat if needed to keep the sauce from boiling, but keep stirring until all the mozzarella has been melted into the sauce.
5. Add the chicken, cooked pasta, and roasted red peppers to the large pot of sauce and heat everything through for about 1 - 2 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
Shepherd's Pie
It was exactly 15 years ago that I sat at the table of a sweet elderly friend and ate Shepherd's Pie on an abnormally sunny day in West Yorkshire, England. Since then, I've tried to create that same comfortable meal and I feel like I've finally gotten pretty close. Now, if only I could transport all of you to a quaint British dining room with sheep herding on the green nearby hills. Then, you'd have the final ingredient to this Shepherd's Pie.
The meaty bottom layer and all it's gravy-ness is the perfect compliment to the mashed potatoes. Please, please (PLEASE!) don't wimp out on making the layer of mashed carrots. I know, it'd be easier to just throw in a bag of frozen peas and carrots or something, but the mashed carrots are perfect and don't take too much extra time to make.
This is a wonderful recipe to whip up with leftover gravy and mashed potatoes. Sometimes, when I made Sunday dinner I purposely make a huge amount of mashed potatoes just so I can save them in the fridge for making this delicious meal the following day or two. The leftover gravy could easily displace the 1 cup beef broth and turkey gravy packet.
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredients:
for mashed potatoes - you could also use leftover mashed potatoes
6 large potatoes, peeled, and cubed
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup Milk, half and half, or cream
Salt and Pepper to taste
for mashed carrots
10 medium carrotts, peeled, and sliced
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 of a medium-sized onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup beef broth
1 packet of turkey gravy
1 - 1 1/2 cups peas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. Set oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 x 13 glass pan and set it aside. Side note: I find it best to do steps 2 and 3 at the same time to save some time.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cubed potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and add butter, milk (or half and half or cream), and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. Bring a medium sized pot of salted water to boil. Add sliced carrots and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain carrots and add butter, milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and ground turkey and cook until it is well browned. Pour off excess fat. Stir in the flour, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, and turkey gravy packet. Cook for about 2-4 minutes or until thickened.
5. Spread the meat mixture into the bottom of the 9 x 13 glass pan. Evenly top the meat with peas. Carefully spread a layer of mashed carrots over the peas and meat using a rubber spatula. Top it with an evenly spread layer of mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the mashed potatoes.
6. Make in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for about 5 minutes and then serve.
The meaty bottom layer and all it's gravy-ness is the perfect compliment to the mashed potatoes. Please, please (PLEASE!) don't wimp out on making the layer of mashed carrots. I know, it'd be easier to just throw in a bag of frozen peas and carrots or something, but the mashed carrots are perfect and don't take too much extra time to make.
This is a wonderful recipe to whip up with leftover gravy and mashed potatoes. Sometimes, when I made Sunday dinner I purposely make a huge amount of mashed potatoes just so I can save them in the fridge for making this delicious meal the following day or two. The leftover gravy could easily displace the 1 cup beef broth and turkey gravy packet.
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredients:
for mashed potatoes - you could also use leftover mashed potatoes
6 large potatoes, peeled, and cubed
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup Milk, half and half, or cream
Salt and Pepper to taste
for mashed carrots
10 medium carrotts, peeled, and sliced
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 of a medium-sized onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup beef broth
1 packet of turkey gravy
1 - 1 1/2 cups peas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. Set oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 x 13 glass pan and set it aside. Side note: I find it best to do steps 2 and 3 at the same time to save some time.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cubed potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and add butter, milk (or half and half or cream), and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. Bring a medium sized pot of salted water to boil. Add sliced carrots and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain carrots and add butter, milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and ground turkey and cook until it is well browned. Pour off excess fat. Stir in the flour, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, and turkey gravy packet. Cook for about 2-4 minutes or until thickened.
5. Spread the meat mixture into the bottom of the 9 x 13 glass pan. Evenly top the meat with peas. Carefully spread a layer of mashed carrots over the peas and meat using a rubber spatula. Top it with an evenly spread layer of mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the mashed potatoes.
6. Make in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for about 5 minutes and then serve.
Monday, December 7, 2015
Creamy Tortellini, Spinach and Chicken Soup (Slow Cooker & Instant Pot)
The day after I made this soup I skipped to the fridge in anticipation of a delightful leftover lunch. When to my horror I found that all the leftovers had been taken to work by my hard working hubby. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he took the leftovers, but I was heartbroken that I couldn't enjoy more of this soup. What did I do? Make it again, who says you can't make the same thing twice in one week?
You can thank me later for making your chilly week a bit warmer with this absolutely perfect soup. The creamy, the tortellini (heaven's best pasta) and add a big amount of the world's most healthy food - spinach, and now I'm a soup addict.
This is ever so much better with Mel's Divine Breadsticks on the side, but if you don't have time to whip up some of those babies, grab a crusty bread or loaf of french bread from the local grocer and that will suffice.
Makes 8 servings
Cooking time: 4-6 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high
Ingredients:
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbsp dried basil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups chicken broth
2 (14.5 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
1 to 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts or tenders
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 cups frozen cheese tortellini
3 cups packed spinach (you can definitely add more than this if you want)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup heavy cream or 1 cup half and half
SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a microwave-safe bowl add the onions, flour, basil, garlic, tomato paste and drizzle with olive oil. Microwave for 6 minutes, stirring every 90 seconds. Be careful when pulling your bowl out of the microwave, as it will be hot. Add the mixture to the slow cooker.
2. Add broth, tomatoes, chicken, salt and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours (or until chicken is very tender).
3. Remove the lid and using a fork remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker and place them on a large plate or cutting board and shred or cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
4. Place the shredded or cut chicken, tortellini, spinach, Parmesan cheese and warmed cream (cream should be warmed because it may cause curdling if added in cold) into the crock pot.
5. Put the lid back on and cook on HIGH for about 10-20 more minutes, or until the tortellini are cooked through. Ladle into serving bowls and enjoy!
INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS
1. Turn the Instant Pot to the saute function. Add only 1 TBSP Olive oil (3 TBSP is only needed in the slow cooker method). When the oil is hot saute the onions until translucent. Add the flour, basil, garlic, and tomato paste. Stir until combined.
2. Add broth, tomatoes, chicken, salt and pepper to the instant pot. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
3. Put the instant pot lid on and be sure it's set to the "pressure" setting. Set the instant pot to high pressure for 5 minutes for chicken tenders or 10 minutes for chicken breasts and then do a slow release for 5 minutes.
4. Once the pressure has fully released carefully remove the lid. Remove the chicken and shred it with two forks. Return the chicken to the instant pot and add the tortellini. Put the instant pot lid on and be sure it's set to the "pressure" setting. Set the instant pot to high pressure for 2 minutes and then do a slow release for 5 minutes.
5. Carefully remove the lid and stir in the spinach, parmesan cheese, and cream.
6. Ladle into serving bowls and enjoy!
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